Councillors in two more university cities are set to take action to limit shared housing mainly let as student HMOs.

Plans are underway in Worcester and Loughborough, Leicestershire, to cap the number of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) to no more than 10% of the number of homes in a 100 metre radius.

Both councils are aiming to thin out the number of student HMOs by making sure new shared homes are not next to existing ones.

Charnwood Council, Loughborough, also wants to enforce no-car agreements for students living in purpose-built blocks to avoid parking problems.

Loughborough has about 325 licensed HMOs.

“Licensing gives the council the power to properly manage shared homes,” said Councillor Ron Jukes, chair of the Charnwood review panel. “We will consider a number of options, including licensing all HMO landlords before making any recommendations.”

Oxford City Council has tried to enforce this as well, but failed because the DVLA refused to release confidential information on owners parking their cars in streets around student halls because the request breached data protection laws.

Charnwood expects to make a decision later this year, while Worcester’s new rules will take effect from July 2015.

Councillor Adrian Gregson, leader of Worcester City Council, said: “This type of housing is some of the most popular in Worcester...

and we know it’s vital for our local economy, often helping young people who are just starting their careers to affordably live in our great city.

“But a high concentration of HMOs in a single part of Worcester can change the character of that area, so our aim here is to ensure that HMOs are spread more evenly across the city.”

Private landlords run 750 HMOs in Worcester. The university has 1,200 beds in the halls of residence, but 10,000 students.